Born: September 2, 1920 - Geneva, Switzerland

The Swiss soprano, Basia [Bazia] Retchitzka, was born in Geneva to Russian parents. She was the sister of the composer living in Geneva Marcel Rechitzky. She studied singing with Anna El-Tour in Amsterdam, with Adrien Froment in Paris, with Fernando Carpi and Louise Gordon in Geneva.

With her voice, a lyric soprano with the ability to coloratura, Basia Retchitzka appeared mainly in works from the Baroque era and modern compositions. She appeared primarily as a concert and oratorio soprano, but also on the stage. She was the original founder of the "Opera Piccola", a Swiss Chamber Opera. In 1959, she appeared at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Warsaw. She was resident in Lugano, but her career took her all over Europe. She gave concerts in Berlin, London, Brussels, Liege, Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon, in Rome, Venice, Turin, Bologna, Milan, at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Festival of Perugia, in Warsaw, Krakow and Posen (Poznan). She took part in several first performances and premieres of contemporary vocal works. In 1970, she sang at La Scala in Milan in the world premiere of Passio Domini nostri Jesus Christ by F. Testi.

Recordings: Chant du Monde (works by Stravinsky), Les Discophiles Français (Te Deum by Blanchard), Decca (Les Noses by Stravinsky), Westminster (Le vin herbé by Frank Martin), Club Français du Disque (Bach cantatas), Ricordi, Accord (works by Monteverdi), Ars Nova, Erato (Stabat Mater by A. Scarlatti), Disco Jecklin.

Source: Operissimo Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (December 2007)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2007)

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BWV 32

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